Housing Headlines

In a new report entitled "Rethinking the Retail trip," the Metropolitan Area Planning Council analyzed more than 3,000 strip malls across Greater Boston. Chock full of interactive maps and charts, MAPC found that many of them are underutilized and if just 10 percent were developed into mixed-use projects, 124,000 homes could be created, increasing building values and bringing over $475 million in additional local tax revenue.

NORTH ADAMS --- The state Department of Housing and Community Development has approved a smart growth zoning district for downtown North Adams, paving the way for more residential and mixed-use development downtown. The district includes two areas — one is around downtown, and the other is in an area between Union and Eagle streets called the “mills subzone.”

The Citizens' Housing and Planning Association voice its support for the state's new multifamily zoning requirement for MBTA communities, saying the recently released guidelines represent a path forward and calling on every community "to seize this moment to design an affordable, inclusive, and sustainable future."

NEWTON --- Village 14 contributor Sean Roche takes a look at what the state's new zoning requirement means for Newton and what areas near the commuter rail and seven Green Line stops make the most sense to zone for multifamily so it adds up to the required 550 acres.

Way Finders president and CEO Keith Fairey applauds Gov. Baker and the legislature's agreement on legislation that will use $600 million in federal recovery funds for direct housing investments. Fairey says it could help the Pioneer Valley address its housing challenges, which include an 11,0000units housing shortage, more than half of renters paying more than 30 percent on housing and a homeownership gap in which just 30 percent of Black and Hispanic households own homes compared to 70 percent of white households.

National zoning expert Salim Furth of George Mason University writes that Massachusetts' new multifamily zoning law guidelines can be a national model that will "strengthen local village centers" that will "put shoes onto sidewalks" and reinvigorate local businesses. The draft guidelines were released on Dec. 15, 2021 and public comment will be accepted through March 31, 2022.